Of particular importance to the many millions of individuals who own pets, such cats and dogs, is maintaining the proper appearance of the animal. Not unexpectedly, an entire industry has evolved around the grooming of pets, even those not intended to be placed on formal public display as in shows or contests and the like. The grooming of pets commonly includes such steps as washing, combing, brushing, and cutting the animal's coat, and the manicuring of the animal's nails.
In the manicuring of animal nails--and particularly, although not exclusively, with respect to dogs--the nails are clipped to a length which, within a relatively small range, is fairly standard. The ends of the nails may thereafter be filed or otherwise burnished to smooth the nail ends and remove sharp edges or projecting portions that might otherwise undesirably engage or snag fabrics and materials forming, for example, carpets, draperies and clothing.
As is well known, a small vein runs longitudinally through each nail of animals such as dogs and it is not uncommon, in the course of manicuring a dog's nails, that one or more of the nails begins to bleed from or in the area of the cut nail end. In order to control and stop such bleeding, a styptic agent or material--typically in the form of a powder, but less often in the form of a bar of styptic material which is rubbed over the affected area--is applied to the nail. As one might expect, however, it is most unusual for the dog whose nails are being manicured to remain calm, let alone silent, through this entire procedure. In particular, the process of applying the styptic powder to the ends of the bleeding nails of a squirming or otherwise struggling dog almost always results in soiling of the dog's paws and other portions of the animal's body and coat as the styptic powder is splattered into the air and onto the animal's, and the handler's, bodies. This effect is directly contrary to the very purpose for which the dog is undergoing grooming--namely, to improve the attractiveness of the animal's appearance so that the owner and others may observe the dog as exemplary of its breed.